North Star
by Teiku
Summary: Now living peacefully in the Western Lands, Rin believes all the hardships are at last over until an unexpected call to arms brings her new enemies and a young boy who will change her life. SessRin, OCOC


Hello. I'm glad you've decided to read my first fic ever. Just for clarfication, this story revolves around an OC that I made up and basically his interatctions with the characters from Inuyasha. I hope you enjoy, there will be alot of Sesshomaru appearing in this fic for those who love him as well as other characters making appearances later on. Please review after this, I love feedback and will reply to all reviewers.

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Her breath came in small pants, forming small puffs of mist as she ran ahead of her lord. She stopped for a few moments, being sure that he was still following. As always he stared down at her with a cold stare. Of course he was right behind her, he was a demon, his speed on land was unmatched. He gave her a nod and she continued to lead him through the thick growth of trees.

"Come my lord!" His sharp hearing picked up her panicked voice, "He's here!"

In an instant he was by her side and he finally saw what she had been in such a panic about. It was a small boy, a demon and it was obvious to him that he was badly injured. He was curled up in a small ball at the base of a tree, his arms thrown over his head making him impossible to identify at the moment. Small cuts covered his tiny body, his breathing was shallow.

"I was looking for survivors when I found him, he hasn't moved yet," The lord looked down upon his small wife, her dark hair tumbled over her shoulders, her deep brown eyes were clouded over with worry.

Sesshomaru knelt down beside the boy, carefully removing his arms away from his face. He was so tiny only a baby in demon terms although he might have been around five or six. He brushed away a dark lock of hair and peered into his face intently.

"Do you know who he is? Will he make it?" Rin's worried voice caused him to look over at her. In such a condition she shouldn't be getting so worked up. Her stomach was well rounded, she was expected to give birth to their second child soon.

He hadn't wanted to bring her away from the castle, but at the urgent distress call she absolutly refused to stay at home, pleading with him about how there were innocent people involved and seeing so many powerful demons might scare them. A small whimper from the boy brought Sesshomaru's attention back to him. Wide blue eyes looked up at him in fear, his pupils dialated into small slits, barely visible, a characteristic of his kind when angered or frightened.

He tried desperatly to get away, tugging his small arm out of Sesshomaru's grasp and curling into the tree. Sesshomaru reached out to him again only to be met with a half hearted growl. Sesshomaru could only watch as the youngster began to cry, the terrors of this night finally getting the better of him.

"Let me try," Sesshomaru felt a small hand grasp his shoulder firmly.

He nodded his head and watched as Rin approached the boy, a smile on her face, whispering nothings to try and comfort the child. After much persistence on her part she won him over. The boy threw himself into her arms, mindful of her swollen stomach and cried into her kimono. She picked him up and ran her thin fingers through his unruly hair.

"Shhh, its ok now. Cry it all out, everything is going to be ok," she whispered to him as she lifted him carefully to rest upon her buldging tummy, his face resting in the crook of her neck as he cried until the tears would come no more.

"We should return to what remains of the palace," Sesshomaru ordered, offering his hand to his mate who gladly accepted. They made their way through the thick forest.

"Its horrible, whats happened here. It was uncalled for," she spoke quietly as she gazed around her.

"Its politics. The Northern lands are prime for metals used to make armor," Sesshomaru replied, he continued to stare straight forward. He didn't need to look into her face to tell that she was appaled.

"Thats horrible, they had no warning. They didn't do anything to provoke this."

"We did what we can. It was a surprise attack, by the time I could get the soldiers and here it was too late."

They continued to walk in silence hand in hand. Although it was the sun had not yet set the sky was dark with the billowing smoke from countless villages and the palace of the Northern family. It didn't take them long to get back out of the forest and they were met with a saddening scene.

What remained of the population had begun to gather at the broken palace, hoping for guidance from their demon lord. Women tried to sooth crying children but ended up in tears themselves as they discovered the mangled bodies of what used to be their husbands. Demon's and humans alike gathered together in one place, feeling the same pains. Female humans and demons huddled together, comforting each other and their young. Male demons and humans searched through the crowds and rubble for whatever possessions they might sill have.

As Rin walked through the crowd she felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She ran her hands through the now sleeping child's hair in an attempt to comfort him in his sleep as well as herself. She followed Sesshomaru up the crumbled steps to the palace. There stood the army of the west, and what remained of the north. They all had grim looks on their faces as they gathered around a figure laying between them all.

Sesshomaru broke through their tight huddle, pulling Rin to his side as he bowed to the other demon lord. "Lord Bottusai," the younger lord inclined his head, his eyes squeezing shut in pain.

"Kayosi didn't make it," tears slid down his cheeks which were covered in dirt and blood, "She came to me after I fell, only to be felled herself. I held her as tightly as I could but she never woke up."

The lord was now openly sobbing. Sesshomaru did something very unlike himself at that moment and pulled Bottusai into his lap, cradling his head against his chest, stroking his black and tangled locks. "I failed her."

"No," Sesshomaru said quietly, "My friend, my ally, my brother. You did all that you could to save them all."1

Bottusai smiled weakly. He then spotted Rin who was close to tears, inclining his head to acknowledge her. From what she could understand Bottusai and Sesshomaru were very close. They ruled neighbouring lands and had spent much of their childhood together. Bottusai was younger by a few years but that didn't make a difference. When he had found that Sesshomaru had taken a human mate he had been increadibly supportive and congragulated them.

Rin smiled lightly at the memory of how terrified she had been when they were introduced. There he was, an armor clad demon racing to her accross the great hall of her home. She remembered how she had laughed when he hugged her tightly, lifting her right off the ground and voicing about how he wanted to see many children from her.

The sight of him here before her, to weak to stand, both arms missing, covered in blood and dirt was horrible. She knelt by his side, hugging him as tightly as she could being quite pregnant and still holding the boy. She kissed his cheeks and tried desperatly to wipe away the grime that covered his face. It was then that he noticed the boy she was carrying.

"Osako?" He asked weakly, his attention only on the boy cradled in her arms, "My son!"

Rin held out the boy as close as she could to him, tears openly flowing as the lord used the stubs that once were powerful arms to hold the boy as best he could. He kissed the boy desperatly, nuzzling his face.

"Osako, my baby boy!"

The lords happiness lifted everybodies spirits for the moment, but soon they all realized that it would be the last time the lord would see his son, his heir. His strength began to fail him. He released the boy reluctantly, giving him back to Rin.

"Kayosi is waiting for me.." His voice drifted off as his eyelids began to droop.

He went totally limp in Sesshomaru's arms as he whimpered and Sesshomaru did the best he could to ease the lords passing into the other world.

"Promise me one thing Sesshomaru?" The lord asked, his voice so strong that it startled everybody there.

"Anything," Sesshomaru replied, emotion leaking through his voice and his eyes.

"Take Osako, make him into a demon I'll be proud of," he asked as his eyes drifted shut.

"I promise," Sesshomaru said weakly as the lord finally let go, "Little brother."2

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The days went by slowly after that. Sesshomaru had recieved the new duty of trying to reorganize the northern lands which wasn't at all an easy task. There was rubble to clean up, wounds to heal, bodies to bury and homes to repair. It wasn't a position he was ready to be in or wanted to be in. He was still grieving the loss of a friend so close he considered him to be a brother.

His first decision had been simply, to give his friend and wife the burial they both deserved. They had been great rulers, breaking the hatred between humans and demons and uniting them under their banner of the aurora over the mountains. He arranged thr proper ceremony which consisted of many broken hearts and half hearted mourners.

Despite the open windows allowing fresh air and sunlight into the room, it seemed dark and stuffy to Sesshomaru and Rin. Rin cried almost the whole time as Sesshomaru held her by his side tightly. When both had said their goodbyes to the nobles, they were buried in a redone garden, bright white tombstones adorning their graves.

The next days were spent appointing a new council to take over the lands until the heir to the throne was of an age old enough to rule. It was decided that he would be taken to Rin and Sesshomaru's home to be raised however they saw fit, so long as he returned to claim his lands when he was ready. Eventually the time came to leave. Some order was restored in the lands and it was obvious to anybody that its citizens were determined to restore the beauty and prestige that they were known for.

Rin and Sesshomaru said their goodbyes to each of the council. There had been a small gathering at the palace which was under repair to wish them well and catch a small glimpse at their lord whom would not be returning for a long time. Despite the horror that had befallen their lands such a short time ago, the people tried their best to be cheery and positive.

They had been flying for quite some time. Rin held firmly in Sesshomaru's hands as she cradled Osako who had still not woken up from that night. His physical injuries had all but healed but sheer lack of strength or will kept him in a slumber. It was still unclear to Rin what had happened to the young lord to give him so many strange wounds or cause him to react so to Sesshomaru.

Surely his father Bottusai had given Osako a clear description of Osako, and Osako had met Sesshomaru before yet he was terrified. She glanced down at the toddler, stroking his cheek with her hand. She had cleaned him up herself and it had become quite clear to her that his hair was quite unruly. She would wash and brush it only to have it return to its normal dissary, but it did suit him.

She let out a sigh. Would what happened haunt him for life? Would he never recover and become a powerful demon as she was sure his father wished, or would he remain a scared little boy for life? These questions had raced through her mind since she had found him curled up on the forest floor.

"Is there something wrong Rin?" Sesshomaru's masculine voice punctured her thoughts.

"Its just about that night. He must have known who you were, yet he was so afraid. And why was he all alone out there in the forest? Did something happen to him?" Rin voiced many of her questions out loud.

She looked up into her mates eyes to see them harden in anger. "Sesshomaru?" She questioned, " Do you know what happened to him?"

Her lord let out an audible sigh before setting her down in a nice clearing by a stream. It reminded her of their travels. She watched his retreating form as he walked to the stream and splashed some of the cool water onto his face. Seeing that this was the oppourtunity to rest for a while she made herself comfortable under a tree.

It was a few moments before her lord returned to her side, sitting beside her and looking down at the small child cradled against her bosum. It was then that he gave her a nod. At her confused look he explained himself.

"Yes, I do know what happened to him that night." She raised an eyebrow and gave him an expectant look.

"He, was taken from the castle, into the forest and attacked," He turned his golden eyes down into his lap.

"What do you mean... attacked?" She asked, saying the word attacked as if it was foreign to her.

"You must understand that the lord of the east was angered by Bottusai's refusal to let him mine in the northern mountains which are far into Bottusai's territory. They would do anything to anger him," Sesshomaru said slowly.

As soon as he said that Rin felt as if a rock had been placed in her stomach. She thought she knew what kind of attack he was referring to but just out of pure hope she asked, "What kind of attack Sesshomaru?" Her voice was urgent and she crushed the child closer to her.

"He was attacked, mentally and sexually," Sesshomaru's voice was thick with disgust.

"Sexually? What do you mean sexually?!" her voice was reaching a pitch that began to sting his ears," They raped him! How could they, he's just a small boy!"3

Sesshomaru tried his best to calm her down. Taking the boy from her arms and resting him comfortably on the ground nearby before he held her tightly to him as she wept into his chest.

"I know Rin. The thought is apalling. I couldn't bear to tell Bottusai, just the thought would have killed him."

His words fell upon deaf ears as she fell into his arms sobbing. The thought was so creul to her, incomprehensible. Somebody doing such horrid things just didn't exist in her world, not until now that is and she wanted them out. They stayed like that for a few moments. Her clinging to him as if for dear life as she tried to gulp down her anger and sadness, her kimono now wrinkled. Him with his arms wrapped around her tightly to provide what comfort he could give her.

Rin closed her eyes, willing her tears to go away. After a few moments of enjoying the comforts of her mates warm body she opened them again, only to have them meet a pair of starteling blue eyes. They were so light in colour that to a quick glance they might appear white. Rin held her breath, they were the confused and frightened eyes and by pure instinct she wanted nothing more then to comfort him.

"O-Osako?" Rin asked nervously, reaching out to him slowly. She put on a happy smile, for she truly was happy the boy had finally broken out of his coma.

The child backed away his eyes filling with tears as he looked around him. Rin broke free of Sesshomaru's grasp and approached him slowly muttering soothing words. Sesshomaru sat watching them, he knew that he shouldn't try to approach the frightened boy at his time, he would surely scare him. Sesshomaru simply wasn't the soft soothing person that Rin was.

"Where am I?" the boy asked, his young voice weak from fear and confusion. He wore the expression of someone who was lost, "Who are you?"

Rin smiled at him, "Its ok. Everything is ok now."

The boy looked up at her. His fears seemed to have been calmed by her soft voice. He continued to look around him taking in his surroundings. Sesshomaru watched passively before turning away. The boy would need time to have everything explained to him.

"You remember us, right Osako?" Rin asked the boy.

They had met before, on one of Bottusai's trips to the western lands. It hadn't been all that long ago either, perhaps only a year or so. The boy should definetly remember who they were. Rin smiled in rememberance. She remembered clearly how fond the boy had become of her and followed her around the castle and surrounding gardens while his father had meetings with Sesshomaru. She too had grown quite fond of him, he was a free spirit, happy and just simply him.

"Who are you?" Rin was shocked back to reality.

Had he just asked her who she was? But it simply couldn't be, they had spent so much time together and Osako was such a smart boy. She didn't know whether to be saddened that he had forgotten or scared.

"She is your mother silly, and I am your father," Sesshomaru surprised her entirely.

He looked at her with his golden orbs. Osako was now their responsibility, it had been Bottusai's dying wish that they take his son with them to the western lands and raise him into a true lord. It was only natural that he refer to him as them being his parents until he was older.

"We will explain it all to him when he is ready. Now is not the time," Sesshomaru explained to Rin who slowly nodded.

"Moma," Osako had moved beside her and was tugging on her sleeve," Why don't I remember?"

Rin smiled warmly. He had already begun a long healing proccess by accepting her and she was glad to have him. "Don't worry love, you've just forgotten for now. You'll be able to remember soon."

At that the boy smiled, his blue eyes shining brightly as he hugged her leg tightly. He may not be her son by blood but they were both bound together. She reached down and stroked the hair on his head. Sesshomaru stood up, silently commanding that it was time to continue their journey. Rin took Osako's hand and followed Sesshomaru into the distance. They were all bound together and Rin just prayed that their bond did not break when it finally came time for Osako to learn the truth or take his throne.

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Well I hope that you enjoyed that. It is my very first fic and I'm not sure how the first chapter turned out. The last part was a bit hard to write, I wasn't sure how exactly they all should act when Osako awoke. I am letting you know now that the story will skip large periods of time in between chapters since it really is supposed to be about Osako when he is older. I just started here because the story wouldn't make sense if I didn't. Please stay with me and review. I love feedback and will reply to all of my readers. Below I will explain some things in the story that might be difficult to understand or difficult words. I will do so at the end of every chapter.

1 Sesshomaru is comforting a dying comerade here, Bottusai. Bottusai recieved his injuries and fatal wound when he tried to defend his family and lands from a surprise attack. It is learned that Bottusai watched his wife die when she rushed to his side when he was down from an attack. She was killed then. Bottusai feels that he failed his lands and people because there was so much bloodshed and destruction, Sesshomaru being very close to Bottusai wanted to comfort him.

2 Sesshomau basically refers to Bottusai as his little brother because they are very close and grew up together. Not liking Inuyasha very much, Sesshomaru considered Bottusai as his little brother when they were growing up.

3 I didn't like this part much but it had to be done. Osako was attacked mentally and sexually by the enemy who sought to hurt Bottusai by any means possible.

Well that is it, that is the end of the explanations. Please review and if you have any questions ask in your reviews and I will answer in my replies. Until next time!


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